Chapter 8: The Rules
byChapter 8: The Rules
The designated testing area was vast, so despite the large number of demons entering, it didn't feel cramped. Wen Ying found an unoccupied spot, leaned against a big tree, and sat cross-legged to inventory his remaining cards.
These cards, created by his own magic power, were renewable consumables. After counting them, Wen Ying made a few more basic elemental skill cards. The magic power that others used to cast one spell, he could use to create ten cards. Activating these cards required only one-tenth of the magic power, and they were almost instant-cast.
Wen Ying held the first score card in his hand and glanced at the pile of magic cards, eager to find some unsuspecting victims.
Last night, Aruda had helped him cast many spells, both high-level and low-level ones.
Most demons specialized in only one element of magic. Like Aruda, this powerful demon who had lived for hundreds of years, all her high-level magic was rooted in the wood element. Her proficiency in spells from other elements was at a beginner’s level.
The first SR card, and the only one, that Wen Ying obtained last night represented Aruda's innate ability.
Wen Ying immediately asked Aruda if she knew the Seductive Charm of a Succubus. Aruda replied that she did know the spell but lacked the innate talent of a Succubus. Therefore, he could only cast the most basic version. The Seductive Charm card that Wen Ying got from Aruda was an N card, with a skill description that read “Extremely Low Chance of Success.”
After a night of experimentation, Wen Ying had a clearer understanding of the rules governing his talent skills.
After running through numerous ideas in his mind, Wen Ying let out a long sigh. Living in the Realm of Demons was truly exhausting.
Although he thought this way, Wen Ying's eyes sparkled with vitality.
Unbeknownst to himself, his initial fear and anxiety towards the unknown had transformed into anticipation.
In the demon world, he could engage in strenuous activities freely like an ordinary person. He no longer needed to be cautious about his meals or make frequent trips to the hospital. He felt healthier than ever, with abundant energy that resembled the "cleansing of the marrow" described in cultivation novels, leaving him feeling refreshed and light.
Last night, he even measured his height and discovered that he had grown one centimeter in just two or three days in the demon realm! Looking in the mirror, he noticed that he was gradually shedding his sickly, weak appearance.
With his newfound health and vigor, Wen Ying was eager to find an outlet for his excess energy. Scarlet's incident just now had given him an idea.
After resting to regain some of his magic power, Wen Ying stood up and held out the card in his hand like a poker player, his radiant smile resembling an angel's descent.
... Ignoring the demonic tail swishing behind him.
Yudo was a giant troll. With a makeshift axe crafted from a stone in his hand, he roamed the forest in search of prey.
He already had over thirty score cards, which he strung together with a sturdy vine around his neck, creating a formidable display. His towering, two-meter-tall body was hard as steel, deterring any demons from challenging him.
Despite being just an ordinary member of the giant troll clan, his race's dominance and strength made even its most average members incredibly powerful.
Udo fidgeted impatiently with the scorecard in front of him, his face twisted in irritation, making him appear even more intimidating.
"I despise cat-and-mouse games the most, a bunch of cowards."
As a Troll, Udo had one fatal flaw – his sluggish speed. Just now, his slowness had allowed two prey to escape.
"Rustling..."
Leaves rustled ahead.
Udo tightened his grip on his stone axe, his eyes gleaming as he quickened his pace.
A demonic head emerged from the grass, its porcelain-like skin radiating an otherworldly holiness that was uncommon for a demon. Long white hair cascaded down its cheeks, and a pair of silver-gray eyes gazed up at the giant as if reflecting his image.
Udo froze for a moment, almost mistaking this sudden emergence from the grass as an angel from the books. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the bat wings, and he sighed in relief. His frustration then turned towards the demon who had toyed with him.
"Where did you pop out from, pretending to be mysterious?"
Wen Ying turned and ran.
"Not so fast!" Youduo immediately gave chase.
"Were you born yesterday?" Wen Ying tossed out a retort over his shoulder.
The white demon flew at an incredible speed. Despite Youduo's enhanced agility, he could only keep up from a distance, always falling short when he thought he was about to catch up.
Youduo grew increasingly frustrated. If he didn't get that guy's scorecard, he'd be tossing and turning all night.
He threw his axe.
Since the rule only forbade killing, not severe injury, Youduo grumbled to himself, feeling rather clever.
The stone axe missed the white demon and was instead swatted away by a thick tail, embedding itself with a thud into the trunk of a tree.
Youduo was furious, and up ahead, there was another demon even more furious than him. The air around this demon howled fiercely as a low-pressure zone spread, making the surrounding demonic aura feel especially oppressive.
"Courting death."
Scarlet spat out two words, his darkened face seemingly capable of dripping ink. He clenched his right fist, veins bulging, and swung it viciously to the side. A fierce gust of wind took on the shape of a punch, sending the bewildered Youduo flying, crashing into and toppling over a dozen large trees in a row.
Wen Ying, having slapped a Concealment Card onto himself, meticulously recorded the innate skill that Joudo unleashed in a crucial moment – the Troll Clan's Impenetrable Barrier.
With the recording complete, Wen Ying turned and ran.
Scarlet, sensing something, abruptly swiveled his head. His golden eyes, burning with fury, scanned the surroundings relentlessly.
Once again, Scarlet was left seething as Wen Ying slipped away, his rage stirring up fierce winds that uprooted several large trees.
Combining the Concealment Card with a Speed Card, Wen Ying successfully escaped Scarlet's detection range. Humming a tune softly, he sought a secure spot to start drawing cards. The Concealment Card had been crafted the previous night, and he had asked Aruda to cast some spells that could conceal one's presence.
Unfortunately, the Concealing Spell was an Intermediate Magic, requiring a significant amount of his magic power to produce just two R-ranked Concealment Cards.
Though they were all R-ranked, the magic power consumed far exceeded that of a Low-level spell.
The Troll Clan's Impenetrable Barrier was an excellent survival tool. Rubbing his hands together, Wen Ying wished for an SR card.
As he was gathering magic power in his fingers, two demons suddenly approached stealthily.
Thanks to the Concealment Card still in effect, Wen Ying remained undetected. Perched in the tree, he watched as the two demons slunk to the base of the tree opposite him. They looked left and right, confirming the absence of other demons before commencing their conversation.
"Have you verified the item? It's not a counterfeit, is it?"
"This time, it's definitely not a fake!"
"Excellent. The Prince's instructions cannot be overlooked. Why did you hit me?"
"What Prince? It's His Highness! If he catches wind of you addressing him like that, you'll be lucky if you don't get beaten to a pulp again."
The demon who was hit rubbed his head grumpily, muttering, "There's no one else around here anyway."
Wen Ying blinked, watching as one demon pulled out a pouch from its pocket and poured some powder into its hand. The other demon sniffed it and nodded, "Yes, this is the scent."
After putting away the pouch of powder, the two demons quickly left.
Lost in thought, Wen Ying felt as though he had stumbled upon something he shouldn't have seen.
Based on his years of experience, the mention of powder, forest, and the last word likely referred to a magical beast rampage.
But... novels were novels, and reality was reality. Surely, such a coincidence wouldn't happen in real life, would it?
Wen Ying hesitated for a minute before decisively continuing his plan to harvest the magic spells that demons excelled in, preferably those innate to their race. That way, he could... An image flashed through Wen Ying's mind of Perseus looking down on trash, causing him to grind his back teeth unconsciously.
What if, what if he could defeat Perseus someday?
In just a few days in the Realm of Magic, he had grown a centimeter. Perhaps one day, he would truly be able to overpower Perseus.
If he couldn't defeat Perseus, he had to defeat the other ordinary demons.
Nothing was more important than drawing cards, so Wen Ying rubbed his hands together and silently wished for an SR card.
Channeling his magical energy, he gazed at the forming card with hopeful eyes and drew a stick figure wielding a stone axe on it. Upon realizing he still had some energy left, he happily added another stick figure.
—A stick figure representing Scarlet.
As the supply of magical energy ceased, the card took its final shape.
Slowly, the level indicator appeared in the top left corner of the Magic Card—SR. Wen Ying erupted into silent, ecstatic laughter.
Once an African, now a European, as they say! It was indeed a moment to remember... Wen Ying noticed something amiss with the skill bar's name. The curve of his lips gradually softened as he meticulously read each word.
"The Barrier of the Enraged Troll, bestowed from a European. It refuses to be used by a devil in white, unless countered by a devil of the Wyvern clan."
Wen Ying: "..." He had suspected as much – why would he have been so lucky to draw an SR card? So this was the catch.
Suddenly, the prospect of defeating Perseus seemed an insurmountable task.
This SR card had drained a considerable amount of Wen Ying's magic. He muttered to himself, "Well, I'll just consider it a safeguard against that devil's ultimate trick."
Scarlet sneezed, still angrily searching the forest for that despised white devil.
This time, Wen Ying diligently drew a stick figure on the card and obtained an R-ranked Card of Impenetrable Fortress.
One must be grateful, at least he didn't get an N card.
Wen Ying clasped his hands together in gratitude to the heavens and then stood up, ready to hunt down his next target.
In no time, Wen Ying encountered a demon. Upon seeing him, the demon's troubled expression instantly transformed into delight, as if the word 'joy' was written all over his face.
"Bro, let's make a deal. Just hand me the scorecard directly; no need for me to come over and snatch it. It'll be beneficial for both of us," the demon said with a playful grin, not putting up much of a defensive stance. He casually inserted his fingers into his hairline, lifting it up in what he believed to be a charming gesture.
Silently, Wen Ying pulled out a stack of cards from his pocket and unfolded them in his hands. "Bro, considering how friendly you are, which element do you dislike?"
Confusion flickered across the demon's face as he sized up Wen Ying, his gaze landing on the cards in his hands. "What are those? Aren't props not allowed during the test?"
"These are my innate abilities. They were checked at the entrance," Wen Ying explained. "So, have you decided which element you dislike?"
The demon was quite a sociable one and flashed a handsome smile. "Wind, I guess. It always messes up my hairstyle."
Wen Ying drew six basic magic cards—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and Thunder—from his deck.
Feeling something amiss, the demon looked at Wen Ying, who seemed incredibly weak. He didn't think the young man could defeat him.
"Hurry up, I'm showing some... mercy…" The demon's words were cut short as he gaped in horror at the six spells that materialized almost instantaneously, hurtling towards him at varying speeds.
"Holy shit?!"
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